For the best jewelry shopping in Hong Kong http://www.chowtaifook.com/en/ and jade shopping. Gold is never cheap anywhere. And most gold are sold at market price around the world, but that is especially true in HK, where they fashion the piece of jewelry and then sell it to you at current market price, plus something like 10% or $50 for the manufacturing fee. This part is negotiable. Gold is relatively cheaper in HK when it is turn into jewelry, especially as compared to China mainland, Europe or US. Also it is more difficult to buy pure gold outside of HK (.999 or .9999 percent gold). So, it is very common for visitors to buy gold in HK. As they are more pure, handcraft is world famous, and relatively cheaper. But it is also softer and more delicate to take care of these almost pure gold pieces compared to 14K, which is composed of 58.3% gold and 41.7% alloy.
Experience a Chinese Tea Ceremony Yixing with Wuyi Oolong. Or try Hong Kong-style milk tea, which is completely different from other Asian teas. An earthy blend of black tea (often English breakfast tea) and evaporated milk, some even strained through silk stockings for the silkiest mouthfeel, Hong Kong-style milk tea is the epitome of the city’s East-meets-West culture. Also try yin yang– milk tea with coffee added in for that extra kick of caffeine to begin your morning.
If you can’t make it to Hong Kong, here are some recipes to try at home:
Hong Kong-style french toast is the devil on a plate. Peanut butter sandwiched between two slices of bread, dunked in egg and deep fried, this snack is an addictive, carby square of evil goodness. If that’s not good (or bad?) enough for you, it’s usually served with butter and drenched in syrup.
Indulge in a delightful twist to the classic French toast with our Hong Kong style variation. This recipe promises a rich flavor experience that will keep you coming back for more. Discover how to create this delectable treat right in your kitchen with minimal effort and ingredients.
**Type of Bread:**
For the authentic taste and texture, we recommend using shokupan or Japanese style milk bread. However, if these options are not available, a brioche loaf serves as an excellent substitute. Even a plain white loaf works well, ensuring there are no obstacles to enjoying this dish. Aim for slices approximately 1 inch thick to achieve the desired consistency.
**Golden Syrup:**
Golden syrup, the traditional topping for Hong Kong style French toast, adds a sweet and nutty flavor profile to the dish. While it may be more challenging to find than condensed milk, specialty stores or bulk retailers often stock it. Alternatively, condensed milk can be a suitable replacement, offering a similar level of indulgence.
**Recipe:**
*Ingredients:*
– 2 slices white bread
– 2 tbsp peanut butter
– 2 eggs
– 1½ tbsp milk
– 2 cups corn oil
– 1 slice butter
– 2 tbsp golden syrup or condensed milk
*Instructions:*
1. **Egg Wash Mixture:**
– Combine eggs and milk in a bowl.
– Whisk until well blended.
2. **Preparation:**
– Slice the bread into two 1-inch thick pieces.
– Spread peanut butter on one slice and sandwich the bread together.
– Trim the crust off all sides of the bread.
– Dip the sandwich into the egg wash mixture, ensuring all sides are coated.
3. **Cooking:**
– Heat the corn oil in a shallow frying pan to 325°F.
– Fry the sandwich, starting with the edges for approximately 15 seconds per side until golden brown.
– Remove from the oil and pat dry.
– Top with a slice of butter and drizzle with golden syrup or condensed milk.
**Notes:**
– Golden Syrup: Look for this at bulk food retailers or specialty stores. If unavailable, condensed milk serves as a suitable alternative.
– Variation: Experiment with different spreads such as Nutella to customize your toast.
**Conclusion:**
Savor the irresistible flavors of Hong Kong style French toast with this simple and delicious recipe. Whether it’s a cheat day treat or a regular indulgence, this dish is sure to delight your taste buds. Enjoy the culinary journey from your kitchen to your plate!
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Try other HK recipes from Lucas Sin
or try other HK recipes from Made with Lau
Or links to Hong Kong style restaurants in Denver. Including this one for award winning szechuan chicken. We like Hong Kong Station as well.
Or break out the mah jong set for a game while eating at home.
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From one writer on quora on the difference between Hong Kong and Mainland China:
One word: cha chaan teng. Hong Kong is Canto-Western fusion.
Hong Kong uses Cantonese and Traditional Chinese as the administrative Chinese language, Mainland China uses Mandarin and Simplified. Administrative language sets the baseline attributes of culture.
Hong Kong is also an English speaking society (experience may vary depending on district) and thus much more expat friendly. In certain areas of Hong Kong, English gets you much further than Cantonese or Mandarin. If China took over Britain, it might look like Hong Kong. Especially the Tube. Except for cosmopolitan districts of big cities, finding a fluent English speaker on the street in Mainland is like winning the lottery.
Hong Kong is fully integrated with the rest of the world, from an unaltered Internet online to access to (genuine) global brands offline. China is a parallel universe with Chinese characteristics. This is where the stereotypes of the country bumpkin Mainlanders vs cosmopolitan Hong Kongers come from. A larger proportion of Mainlanders are country bumpkins because they never left the country, couldn’t before (thanks to visa restrictions) and now don’t want to. A larger proportion of Hong Kong are cosmopolitan because many are foreign passport holders and have overseas education and/or employment experience.
Hong Kong pop culture has been exported worldwide for a long time while Mainland pop culture is still mostly for domestic consumption and beginning to make moves to the rest of the world. Mainlanders also love consuming Taiwan and HK pop culture, which has pivoted from worldwide export to Mainland focus.
Hong Kong is openly Japan friendly. Mainlanders love Japanese culture and products too, but political rivalry makes it awkward for them express their love.
Hong Kong holidays include Western holidays, but Mainland does not. The more cultures you embrace, the more parties you go to, but the economy still needs to run, people need to work. So HK bank holidays are more common but shorter, and Mainland ones are fewer but longer. The biggest holidays in Hong Kong are Xmas/New Years and Chinese New Year. The biggest holidays in Mainland are Chinese New Year (but significantly longer holiday), Labour Day (May 1st) and China Day (October 1st).
Hong Kongers are passive aggressive and Mainlanders are very in your face, kind of like British and American stereotypes. Related point: Hong Kongers are much more subtle or negotiable when breaking or bending the rules, whereas Mainlanders are very blatant unless the stakes are high, in which case their sophistication exceeds Hong Kongers.
Patriotism also mirrors the subtle Brits and proud Americans. Mainlanders are usually proud to be Chinese, but rarely you have a flag waving Hong Konger who’s proud to be Hong Konger or Chinese, unless they are compared with a Mainlander, which usually elicits a distinction ranging from “yes Chinese but of Hong Kong” or “I’m not Chinese, I’m Hong Konger”.
Hong Kong drives on the wrong side of the road, like the Brits and their former colonies. Mainland China occasionally drives on both sides, but officially on the right side like 66% of the world. Thankfully, both use SI aka the Metric System.
Chinese Character for Love
The Chinese character for the word love didn’t exist until it was invented in the 1920s. Ancient Chinese literature is laden with tales of electrifying love at first sight and erotic bliss,” explains Stanford scholar of Chinese classics Haiyan Lee. But most Chinese love stories carry a similar moral: if one abides by the codes and prescriptions of the marriage process and doesn’t deviate from the structures of the familial network, the system will guarantee safe passage to happiness. But push the limits of passion a bit too far, Lee says, and one is bound to find oneself married to a rapturous but cataclysmically evil fox spirit. Confucian ideals long discouraged romance between spouses by privileging relationships between men instead. As noted by the late scholar Francis Hsu in his book Under the Ancestors’ Shadow (Columbia University Press, 1948), Chinese families under Confucianism were gender hierarchies that subjugated women. The two strongest family relationships were between father and son and elder and younger brothers. The strength and order of a family was synonymous with the strength and order of the state. Any man who deviated from the system and appeared openly affectionate with his wife was seen as someone of weak character.